Blach's building

The Blach's building (originally the Hood Building, now known as Blach's Lofts) is a four-story commercial building on the northwest corner of 3rd Avenue North and 20th Street. It was built in 1888 and featured a deeply-profiled cornice and window trim, fancy brickwork and arched windows.

In 1935 the building was completely remodeled in a modernist style by Warren Knight and Davis for Blach's department store. The arched windows were squared off, the cornice and window trim were stripped away and the brickwork was stuccoed over and painted off-white. The store moved into its new location in 1936 and remained until the mid-1980s. In 2004Operation New Birmingham put the then-vacant building on their 12 Most Wanted list of downtown properties in need of renovation.

In July 2007 Birmingham mayoral candidateLarry Langford signed a month-to-month lease for an apartment at the Blach's lofts in order to establish residency in the city. After the election, opponent Patrick Cooper filed a lawsuit claiming that Langford did not meet the requirement and his claimed use of the apartment was "a sham."

In February 2009Regions Bank foreclosed on the building and sold it for $2 million. They have sued the Owens and Woods Partnership for non-payment on a $700,000 loan. In September 2013 the LIV Development group sold the building to an undisclosed buyer for $3.2 million.